Howl
by Carnivean Rosier
Summary: What could have happened to Ashley after the final scene of Evil Dead.


Ash ran.

To stop running would mean death and death was a certainty that he was not willing to accept so soon, when he was still so young, while he still had so much ahead of him in life.

Such as the same cabin he had just tried to leave not three minutes earlier.

Ash came to a halt and stared in horror at the cabin. If he was not completely crazy, and he was certain that he had not yet gone all the way there, he had just run out the front door and moved in a straight line in a direction that was opposite the one he was now facing. The house, with the door hanging open, seemed to leer out at him.

He spun around again and started running. He had not gone fifty feet when he realized that leaving the house, however terrifying it was inside it, had not been the greatest idea. His hopes of escape were halted by a root, which sprung up and tripped him, having torn itself away from the very earth it was rooted into!

He screamed again, but there was no one to hear him, and because of his earthward descent his mouth was soon filled with dirt. He sat up coughed, spat, and thrashed out frantically as something rough snatched at his left arm. He wrenched out of the ever-tightening grip and kicked out, leaping into the air and managing to evade a root as it moved across the forest floor to trip him up, but unfortunately forcing himself headfirst into a large branch that wrapped itself around his chest like a constrictor snake.

He screamed again, words that did not make sense, the sound of sheer terror. Several branches caught his left arm by the fingers and quickly wrapped thicker and thicker around his wrist, pulling his arm out away from his body, not willing to make the same mistake as the first time.

Ash threw his leg up to gain momentum and twisted as hard as he could, reached over with his right hand and pulled on his left arm- hard. There was a loud _'crack!'_ and the branch pulled away, and as the weight was released his momentum sent him spinning to the ground. He landed hard on his back and in the split second he was winded felt the rough skin of thick branches wrapping around his throat. He reached up in panic and both his hands were bound together and pulled upward, over his head and stuck to the ground. His right foot was soon tied as well, and he kicked desperately with his left foot into the ground, and then wrenched downward with both his hands at once. More branches snapped and he ripped the shackle from his throat and then began to pull at the restriction on his foot, attempting to run as he did so but only ended up tripping several times.

He screamed again and launched himself forward, felt his foot go free of his branch entrapped shoe and tumbled forward. He had no idea in what direction he was going at this point but he did not care, as long as he could get away, he needed to run, to escape, to _live_-

Again, on all sides of him, thick branches, around his chest, his legs, his face- Ash started throwing punches, howling now; death was close and was so certain. He had his eyes clamped shut and just as he felt the branches fall away from him he threw out his arm, tripped over his right foot and fell forward. The hands he set forward to catch himself were snatched away, and he came to an abrupt halt, suspended a few feet above the dry earth. Branches continued to move over his body, around his arms and shoulders, and he twisted in vain against them now until his entire body was suspended, a little less than horizontal, above the earth.

Ash twisted, screamed, and nearly vomited until the branches stopped moving and he paused, lightheaded and shaking.

Nothing around him moved.

Ash waited, listening for any sound from the forest, from the Unknown Terror, but all was silent.

After a few more seconds he jerked hard to free his right arm, but the only response from the branch was a tightened grip. He was trapped.

He was almost ready to try his luck at pulling himself free again when he heard a sound, a very distinct voice. He froze and fear shot through him anew when he realized it was speaking.

_Ashley_

"No!" He howled, and the branches were moving again, around his legs, curling up behind his knees and sliding over the inside of his legs, twisting up over his ass and his groin. Thorns were invading his shoes and he presently felt that the sock was being torn away from his right foot, then heard a thump as his left shoe hit the earth. His eyes were wide and he threw his head to the left, only to feel sharp sticks loop around his forehead and throat, pulling his head forward and up, tugging at his ears and nose. Thin branches had started running up his pant leg and he snarled, but the moment his lips drew back tiny sharp twigs had hooked around his lips and quickly multiplied, pulling his mouth open. Ashley gritted his teeth and continued to growl, but despite his best efforts several larger branches took up positions on both his lower and upper jaw and held his mouth open painfully wide.

He caught a glimpse of the branch that shot out. It was thick, abrasive on his tongue and it filled his mouth with bitter heat and he choked, but that was not all it had in store for him. The branch around his forehead tightened and his head bent back. He was suddenly aware of the contact from every inch of plant on his body. Thorns dug into his chest and his back, wrapped tight around the soft skin of his stomach and everything was _moving_ and every inch of his body was taken from him. The thickness in his mouth pushed forward, into his throat and he whimpered as tears ran from his eyes down his face. He could not make more than the smallest sounds in protest as the branch pushed further, sliding into his throat and then further-

Ash heaved once and the branches around his stomach tightened and he felt thorns digging in, as if they were excited by the movement. After that the trigger in his throat was rendered immobile and his eyes rolled up into his head as the branch forced its way down his esophagus. The muscles that lined the path tensed painfully along the length of it as it slid down into the tight space, twitching every few seconds, leaving a trail of sticky evil as it went…

Lights flashed inside Ash's head. The evil was everywhere, inside him, running down his neck and slicing the bottom of his feet. As the root pressed deeper the feeling of terror and pain began to subside, and was very quickly replaced with a deathly calm as his body relaxed into the grip of the branches. When the root pulled out of his mouth the feeling of freedom was so extreme that it was semi-ecstasy, and he landed on the forest floor with a grin on his face.

The grin was replaced by a howl when the branches returned and dragged him away into the darkness of his eternal prison.


End file.
